Today, Chief Justice Roberts said that the Arizona immigration case is not about ethnic profiling. Many of the law’s critics would wholeheartedly disagree and say it’s one of the biggest concerns. What this law creates is an environment of fear, where people who have nothing to hide, but who happen to be Hispanic or Middle Eastern or of South Asian origin, are worried they will be stopped for no reason. It’s the same argument as ‘Stop, Question and Frisk’ and just like that controversial policy, it’s uncertain if the positives or results are worth the negatives and risks.

The Supreme Court heard arguments today on Arizona's controversial immigration law. The Obama administration argued border enforcement should be left up to the federal government, not individual states. But several states, including Arizona, argued they have the right to pass their own laws to deal with the nation's estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants.

The Arizona law requires police to check the legal status of people they stop for any reason. Civil rights groups say it encourages racial profiling and ethnic stereotyping. A decision from the Supreme Court is expected in June. What do you say?

Should the federal government or individual states have control over border enforcement? Do you support laws requiring everyone to show police their immigration status? How should the Supreme Court rule? What do you think is a fair solution in addressing the nation's undocumented immigrants?

Send your thoughts using the link above.

The people in those border states are living this nightmare every day. This Governor has a lot of guts to stand up to all who have been apposing her. At least she puts everything out in the open not like what we have here in New York. This Governor we have is nothing but a bully.

Plus insults us by passing his man made laws behind closed doors. Why do we have to show our ID's when we enter certain venues and we have to show more than one ID just to open a bank account.

Even our drivers license isn't enough proof and they also take a photo of us.
People that own homes have long lost their freedom in Arizona which is the state in question at the present time because they can't even go out of their home without looking both ways and packing besides.

Children cannot play outside of their own homes. What is so difficult to understand about this without everyone of us that state their side of the story being labeled for one thing or another.

They should pass it.

maxxiee
mp

I believe immigration laws should apply uniformly for all states as dictate by federal law, however the federal government should be obligated to provide additional resources based upon immigration costs and conditions in particular states.

Felix
Bay Ridge

WHY DO WE HAVE HOMELAND SECURITY? IF THERE ARE 11 MILLION UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS IN THIS COUNTRY , HOW MANY ARE AL-QAEDA? SECURITY IS OBVIOUSLY LACKING.

TELL ME AGAIN, WHY ARE WE ARE REMOVING SHOES AT THE AIRPORT, AND, FOR WHAT REASON?

JOE
BAY TERRACE

While it's great that one of Arizona's many shamefully un-American enactments has made
it to the U.S. Supreme Court, perhaps the real question before the Court should be Arizona's continued statehood. I say, give the Fascist Republic of Arizona back to Mexico, and then build a fence along the state's American border through which the good people of Arizona (as opposed to the bad people) can escape to the America the rest of us know and love, leaving the cowboys and skinheads to duke it out with the banditos and drug cartels they think are hiding under their beds.

BIG ANDY
Manhattan Beach, Brooklyn

I would say the states have no rights to pass a law against the immigrants as should be the federal government to decide the laws about it.

Otherwise there would be a lot of racism around. Would be like going backward instead moving forward.

Just because Arizona is in the border, that doesn't mean that they should have their own laws is anti constitutional. On the other hand, where is the respect to the constitution? Do they do that? Please do so.

Alberto
Hamilton Heights

Immigration and patrolling the borders is a federal issue. States should be authorized to enforce the laws, but cannot make laws of their own.

In AZ, in particular Phoenix, under the rule of Sheriff Joe Arpaio, good luck being black or Hispanic. Arpaio is a known and documented brute who should be arrested and jailed for violations of individual rights. Read the many articles documenting his rampages in the local Phoenix New Times. I lived in Phoenix for a year and was a witness to his behavior.

Joe
Port Richmond, SI

Arizona governor should run for president. When are courts going to enforce the law. My parents came to America. And followed the legal procedures. Immigration can benefit our society but it can hinder our development stop the unlawful behavior united states supreme court.

Joy
Flushing

Congress needs to pass a comprehensive immigration law. Every illegal should be documented. We need to protect are boarders and national security. It the law. Every individual who would like to immigrant to the united states should follow our legal protocol pay taxes, or leave.

Zhou
Chinatown

Illegal Mexican immigrants come from Mexico. Why is it wrong to profile Mexicans? If you're a legal Mexican-American citizen you have nothing to worry about.

Jeremy
Forest Hills

With American jobs being outsourced to overseas and the prevailing legal minimum wage less than what it costs to buy a pack of cigarets, we do not need illegals competing for jobs. See how fast real Americans would vote out the likes of Bloomberg if the states could enforce the illegal immigrant laws. I am so sick of the war on the working/middle class Americans.

Frances
East Village

You can sugar coat it all you want, but anyone who is in America illegally is a criminal, when the work they continue with there criminal activity.

Ed
Murray
Hill

Let us not forget that Arizona, New Mexico, California, parts of Nevada, Colorado and Texas were taken from Mexico. Hence, Spanish is our second language. So in a sense Mexicans crossing the border are just coming home.

Irv
Staten Island

I am tired of hearing that Mexicans have a right to be here illegally.

Goverenment looks the other way because Mexicans do jobs that US citizens don't want to do.

Here's an idea. Cut back on the State assisted programs and see if those jobs won't look good to a few people. I am tired of hearing that people aren't taking jobs because they make more on state assisted programs then taking a job below them. Mexicans should imigrate to this country like everyone else and like every other country if you are asked for your papers proving you have the right to live an work here than you have to produce them.

I'm an American and I can't just go and live in Mexico without the necessary documents. It should be the same.

Nancy
Staten Island

INSTEAD OF GOING AFTER IMMIGRANTS WHY DON'T GOV BREWER HAVE THE GUTS TO GO AFTER THE PEOPLE THAT ARE GIVING JOBS TO THESE IMMIGRANTS.

PEDRO
BRONX

Illegal aliens come here, take jobs that teens and other low skilled workers could do (delivery, cut grass, grocery baggers, etc.), lower the wage standards by working off the books, pay no income taxes, then send $48 BILLION dollars per year back to their home countries which does not get recirculated here. There’s nothing wrong with LEGAL immigrants coming here to become American citizens by following the immigration rules, but everything is wrong with ILLEGAL aliens who just jump the border to get here, then take the money and eventually run back home. In particular, Mexico has one of the longest most beautiful coastlines in the world, they could transform that into a series of resorts and casinos that would make Mexico the envy of the world, but instead, they come here by sneaking across the border, then complain that they’re treated unfairly. It’s another case of overpopulation ruining the world’s countries.

Walter
New Dorp

Is it an issue that is made difficult by the federalist system. The federal government should have he complete authority over immigration, but it has not acted adequately in controlling the borders, keeping track of tourists, visitors, immigrants. There need to be an adjustments to the immigration policy on the federal level to control immigration with current, updated policies. The state government has many other things to worry about at the same time, and should not be worrying about immigrants that are making less money and look different from the WASPs that came to this country centuries ago. It is a no-brainer...

Boris
Brooklyn, NY

Send these people back. The first thing they do is have children two or more. Anchor babies, Draining cities social services with welfare benefits. Public schools, training teachers to speak Spanish because they refuse to learn English. Taking jobs away from American citizens who provide construction jobs for Americans who speak English. Ruining neighborhoods with illegal business. Overpopulating our cities with uneducated and unskilled workers.

Tracey
Harlem

Is this America? Watch out people, Arizona's law is just a slippery slope away from cops being able to stop all of us and ask for ID papers. Would it cause racial profiling? Who do you think the Arizona cops will be stopping "for any reason" whatsoever? not white folks I'm sure. We are becoming a military state.

Immigration policy should remain in the hands of the federal government.

Historically, the federal government has been forced to address bias state laws time and time again. (ex: anti-miscegenation laws, segregation)

Your callers continue to only mention undocumented people from Mexico and South America. What they need to realize is that the great majority of undocumented people are in the U.S. due to expired visas, NOT due to crossing our southern border.

Millie
Queens Village

For those who say they would be willing to pay a fine in order to stay here, I'm curious to know what dollar amount they believe would be "fair". Why do I think that no matter what figure the government would come up with, they'd say it was too much and wouldn't be willing to pay.

Virginia
Castleton Corners

Arizona was part of the Mexican colony of Spain from 1540 up until 1912, when it was admitted as the 48th State of the United States. Spanish people and native Americans have lived and spoken Spanish in Arizona for over 400 years before Arizona became a part of the United States.

Much like Louisiana that still retains it's original customs and French and Spanish traditions because it was originally a colony of both Spain and then France. Arizona is Spanish. It's customs food traditions are a mixture of the native american Apache Navajo Hopi cultures along with the culture of Spain that was absorbed in that area for more than 400 years of colonization by Mexico and Spain.

Grandparents who where born in Arizona before 1912 remember when Arizona was still Mexico and everyone spoke spanish there. These people didn't move out of the region because a new boundary line was created and all of a sudden the territory became part of the United States. These Spanish and Mexican families have continued to remain in these parts for generations. Families have relatives on both sides of the border. Because there was no border just 100 yrs ago. The laws might say that this area is now part of the United States, but the people living there who have roots and history and are desdendants of the original Spaniards and Mexicans still speak Spanish or their native american languages in Arizona, as they always had.

America was built by the hard work of immigrants who strived for a better life for thier families.This country is maintained by immigrants and their labor. Why put a restriction on people that escape harsh punishment from their home country in hopes and strives to gain freedom in the "home of the free and the land of the brave." American should show more appreciation and help these people attain salvation.

Indra
Brooklyn

Immigrants have built our country but are not properly taxed to help maintain our country. The legal procedures are harsh and taken advantage of but we must think rationally about the national security of America.

Being a Latin Americans i am against the Arizona law, i think is very discriminative and very offensive when they call undocumented immigrants criminals, when the majority of them are hard working people trying to survive and feeds their families, meanwhile there is millions of us Americans living of the government, and committing criminal acts such as selling drugs, killing, raping, and stealing. So if hardworking undocumented immigrants are criminals, than what are this us Americans call, and who do you preferred hard working people are true criminals.

I'm from an immigrant family who did the right thing to be part of the US. Of Latin descent, i totally disagrer with all of the minorities stating it's unconstitutional to be asked for ID.

I was raised in an upper middle class neighborhood and have held well paying positions since graduating from college. Last year I was involved in an accident which required numerous surgeries and was placed on wc and will never be able to hold a job like the one prior to my accident. It's been difficult to accept my disability but even more difficult to accept that as a tax paying US born citizen I cannot collect on many of the public programs in place because illegal immigrants are straining our resources.

I call BS and yes if you can't prove citizenship then you shouldn't be here.

JJ

This is the United States of America. People look at this country as the last stop to have dreams and the last place to realize those dreams. I want everyone to have the right to happiness and freedom that we have. I am fortunate to have been born in this country and realize it is not only a privilege but a responsibility to live here.

We have an obligation to help those who cannot help themselves. We do however, need to enforce immigration laws and people must carry identification. After all, this is a real, live country - not Gilligan's Island - and I am sorry to say, there are RULES as in any country. Our government must be responsible for the well being of it's citizens and must enforce the rules.

The issue goes even deeper than carrying identification. A majority of Americans have worked hard, paid taxes but are now losing their jobs, savings, homes and medical benefits. At the same time these hard working Americans are indirectly paying for illegal persons who do not pay taxes and citizens who are able to work but don't, to receive the very things that are being taken away from them. It is much easier to give and help the less fortunate when feeling secure about your current and future status. And Americans, considered to be among the most generous in the world, are getting tired of giving while what they have worked very hard for has been significantly depleted - thanks in part to corporate greed and the recent financial collapse. It is so frustrating that our country cannot come up with solutions to 1) help working citizens keep jobs, 2) help non-working citizens get "inspired" to work and 3) help immigrants to properly assimilate to our country as our forefathers have. Since when did doing right by our country get overshadowed by politics?

And even though I am weary and frustrated at anyone who takes advantage of this great country, I will continue to give, continue to help and continue to show compassion. Why? Because I am an American and that is what we do and who we are.

Deborah
Randall Manor
Staten Island